Hidden From Himself
by Sailor Elf
Summary: Haunting dreams begin to plague Charlie and he pushes away all help offered by others. When they get worse, Charlie finds himself in a position he never thought he would be in. Is he going crazy?
1. A Dream or Not a Dream?

Disclaimer - No one from Lost belong to me. No way, no how. Anyone you don't recognize are mine.

Summary - Haunting dreams begin to plague Charlie and he pushes away all help offered by others.When they get worse, Charlie finds himself in a position he never thought he would be in. Is he going crazy?

Author's Note - I had someone suggest that I make the flashbacks and dreams the Charlie had more prominent. That's what I've done. Places that are bold and italic are dreams while italics are his memories (or people's thoughts). Please enjoy!

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Hidden From Himself

Charlie shivered. It was slightly cold out and he hated it. In the back of his mind, he figured that his shivering was from more than one reason.

"It's so bloody cold. I wish it would warm up or at least I hope it's not far from dawn," he muttered to himself.

He looked over the others who were nearby. Claire was one of them and he sighed as he looked over her. His stare soon came to the stars overhead and he was having another craving. He was fighting it as hard as he could, knowing that he could never get it: for he didn't have any of his drug left. He remembered how he traded the last of it to Locke for the location of his guitar. Then he burnt the rest of it a couple days later.

"Maybe I should try and get some sleep. That way, dawn will get here faster yet I'll still have to deal with the craving no matter what," Charlie muttered to himself.

He looked around to see Jack sleeping nearby and had to give a smile. He never figured that Jack wouldn't tell the others what he was going through and he was thankful of that.

"Well, if I don't try to sleep, it won't come any sooner," Charlie quietly told himself before lying down on the ground.

He tried to make himself comfortable and he found it very difficult to do but he soon found the comfortable position he was looking for. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

00000

_**Charlie yawned and opened his eyes. He looked around the house. For a moment, he wondered where he was as he rose in the bed. The jungle air no longer filled his nostrils and well, he was in a house. He began to recognize the design in the room and he soon heard footsteps quietly heading towards him.**_

_**"Charlie, what's wrong?" came a familiar female voice.**_

_**Charlie perked up at the voice. He never thought he would hear that voice again. That familiar accent so like his own.**_

_**"Serena? Is that you?" Charlie replied with question in his voice as he looked from side to side.**_

_**"I asked you a question. You seem almost distant," came the voice again.**_

_**Charlie turned around in the bed and stared at the woman walking up to him. He was very confused.**_

_**"How did...? How did I get here?" he asked as she finally reached the bed.**_

_**"What do you mean by that?" she wondered. "You've been here the past week, at least. Ever since you came from Sydney, you've been staying here with me. Aren't you glad you know someone who lives here in LA? But if you're talking about last night's events, I pretty much had to ask a couple of friends to drag you back here. You passed out from the night's events. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a few drinks myself."**_

_**Past week. The words floated around in his mind. He could do nothing but stare at her with an open mouth.**_

**'This does not make any sense. I am certain the plane crashed on the island, a 1000 miles off course. I've had to deal with living in the woods. I remember giving my stash to Locke, then getting it back and throwing it in the fire,' _he thought to himself._ 'I vividly remember the pain of starting to go into withdrawl. I remember the others that survived.'**

_**Serena saw the confused look on his face and she placed a hand on his cheek.**_

_**"What's wrong Charlie? Did something go wrong with Liam? Did you two get in a argument or something like that before you came here?" she wondered. "You've never mentioned Liam when you got here and you have refused to talk about him with me since then. Please tell me Charlie. What happened between the two of you before you came here?"**_

_**Charlie sighed, deciding to finally give in and tell her.**_

_**"We did have an argument soon before I got onto the plane. I so wanted for him to come here and play with the band. Driveshaft is a part of me and I think he just threw it away," Charlie replied. "With him doing the drugs, he was not acting himself."**_

_**"Charlie, you haven't been acting yourself ever since you started. I worry about you. Someday, I fear you're going to end up dead," she sternly told him.**_

_**Charlie sighed as he turned away from her. He placed his head forehead into his hand, trying to comprehend the scene around him**_

_**"I... I am so confused," Charlie quietly said.**_

_**"About what?" Serena wondered as she looked him over.**_

_**"I don't know. There's this images I have in my mind. I'm stranded on an island with over 40 other people. The plane crashed on its way here," replied Charlie. "It feels so real."**_

_**"Yet you know it can't be Charlie. I mean, you're here, aren't you?" she replied with a small laugh.**_

_**"That's right, I am. But it still doesn't make any sense to me. I have these faces in my mind and I can't seem to get rid of them. There's one of a pregnant woman. Another two of an Asian couple. A black man and his son. A doctor, a Middle-Eastern man and a few others. Even an older man who wanted to help me with my drug addiction," Charlie replied.**_

_**"Well, do not worry about it anymore. That was all a dream. Now, if they continue, I don't know what they're trying to tell you," Serena said, causing Charlie to perk up in interest.**_

_**"What do you mean by that Serena?" Charlie demanded to know.**_

_**"Charlie, I've always believed that maybe, sometimes, when you have a dream, somebody's trying to tell you something. It could a variety of things and it could be anybody. There have been some people who have recurring dreams. Then, I believe someone is definitely trying to tell that person something. I guess it's the way one interprets them," Serena said as she shrugged her shoulders. "All I can tell you is, this isn't a dream Charlie. This plane crash that you speak of, and all these people, are part of one. It must seem like one real dream."**_

_**Charlie took in what Serena just told him. He looked over her. She was a couple inches shorter than him and had the same hair colour as he did. She was even a couple years younger than what she was. He thought she was beautiful looking. She seemed to be a likely target for men and that's what worried him. He smiled as he turned his stare towards the bed, not knowing what to say.**_

_**"Now come on, I've already made breakfast. Time to eat," she told him as she playfully hit his arm.**_

_**Charlie gave a wide smile at that before climbing out of the bed. He followed her to the kitchen, smelling the food along the way.**_

**'She's right, there's no way that this can be a dream. That food smells all too real to be a dream,'** _**he thought to himself.**_

**_He walked into the room to see the food sitting on the table, ready for him. She had obviously prepared it before coming to wake him._**

**_"You get your breakfast first Charlie. I'll be with you in a moment. I've got to go check something," Serena called to him as she walked out of the room._**

**_Charlie nodded as he headed towards the food. He noticed that she prepared some of his favourites and he gave a smile. He piled the food onto his plate before deciding to head towards the fridge to get a glass of juice when he heard a door open and then close nearby. He poured himself a glass and closed the door._**

**_"Hey Serena, I've got a question for you..." started Charlie as he turned in the direction she was coming from._**

**_He gasped at the sight, causing him to drop the glass. It fell to the floor, shattering into many tiny pieces._**

**_"Charlie, what's wrong? You're not yourself today. It seems as if last night made you a different person," wondered Serena._**

**_"Serena, your... your face. What happened?" Charlie managed to say as he lifted his hand towards her._**

**_"Charlie, what are you talking about? There's nothing wrong with my face. There's never has been," she told him with a disbelieving laugh._**

**_Charlie looked over her face. He couldn't believe that she could not feel the pain from the injury plastered across half of her face. It trailed down her neck and down her shirt._**

**_"Charlie, there's nothing wrong with me. Maybe I should make an appointment for you. Maybe you're halluincating from the drugs," Serena said as her voice started to become distorted._**

**_He started to feel dizzy and the images before him began to blur. The form of Serena all but disappeared._**

**'No, this can't be. What's going on here?'** _**he told himself as he placed one hand over his stomach and the other on his head.**_ **'Is this some sort of sick joke for giving up the drugs?'**

_**He fell to his knees and soon emptied his stomach of everything that was in it.**_

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Charlie woke up in a sweat. He frantically looked around to see that he was still on the island. He glanced around at everyone to see that he had awoken no one and he was glad of it.

_'What the heck was that all about?'_ he asked himself as he placed his elbows on his knees. _'What is wrong with Serena?'_

He placed his hands over his face, trying to figure out what the dream meant. That was until he really began to feel sick.

"Oh no," he said before quickly climbing to his feet and hurrying into the woods.

He managed to get several feet away from the others before his stomach decided to empty itself.

TBC...


	2. A Distant Memory

Jack yawned and blinked his eyes a few times before rising to a sitting position. He looked around the area to see that the others were still sleeping and the sun was not quite up yet. But he did take notice of the one face that wasn't around.

Charlie.

_'I wonder if it's something with the withdrawl kicking in?'_ he asked himself._ 'I'd better go see if he's alright. Of course, I don't know where to start looking for him. He could be anywhere at the moment.'_

He started to head into the jungle and began to look. Not too long into his search, his ears vaught a faint, yet familiar, sound. He was a bit surprised as he followed it to a small clearing nearby. There, he saw Charlie, huddled up into a ball near a tree. It appeared to the doctor that Charlie had been crying as his eyes were slightly red and puffy.

"Oh Serena, what is that supposed to mean? What am I supposed to do?" Charlie whispered, a hand on his head

Jack sighed before stepping back and a tree branch hit him in the back. Charlie's head perked up at the noise. He looked to see Jack in the brush. He backed away slightly until he hit a tree.

"What are you doing here?" Charlie demanded to know, his eyes wide open.

"I was about to ask you the same thing. What's wrong? Something happening with the withdrawl?" Jack had to ask.

Jack walked into the clearing and saw a slight mound of dirt near Charlie.

"What is happening Charlie?" Jack demanded to know. "I can help you through this, whether it be the withdrawl or not."

"No! You can't help me with this one. This doesn't have to do with the withdrawl," Charlie replied as he climbed to his feet.

Jack watched as Charlie managed to climb to his feet and run into the trees. Jack took a few steps in the same direction before deciding not to, realizing that it was probably futile. Charlie probably woudn't talk about it just yet, if at all.

_'I have to wonder who this 'Serena' is? Is she a family member? A friend? A lover? Or perhaps a former lover?'_ Jack thought to himself.

He stepped toward the mound of dirt and caught the familiar scent of vomit.

"Well, whatever happened, it scared him so much that his body couldn't take it," Jack quietly said to himself.

He stared in the direction that Charlie went in and gave a sigh.

00000

Charlie ran through the woods, trying his hardest to get away from Jack and the others. He thought that it was bad enough that Jack already saw him in that state. He knew he couldn't afford anyone seeing him like that until he was feeling better. What he saw in his dreams last night scared him greatly. He had to wonder why his mind had to create a dream like that one.

"I wish I knew how Serena was doing," he murmured to himself as he continued to run through the forest.

He turned to look behind him to see if Jack had followed him and was relieved to see that the doctor had not done so.

"Hope no one followed him and then followed me," he said to himself.

He began to run backwards, thus not seeing where he was running. He didn't see the person which he soon ran into. He quickly turned around to find Locke standing before him.

"Charlie? What are you doing all the way out here? By the looks of it, it appeared as if you were trying to get away from something," the older man told him.

Charlie began to back away from but Locke caught Charlie's arm.

"Let me go!" Charlie demanded as he tried to release his arm from the man's grasp.

"What's happened Charlie?" Locke wanted to know.

"Nothing that's your business," Charlie replied as he managed to free his arm.

"You've just had an experience of some kind and I would like to help if you'd allow me," Locke told him.

"No one can help me with this Locke," Charlie replied as he shook his head. "At least I'm pretty sure no one can."

"Doesn't mean someone can't give you any advice on it. Helps you know which way to turn, which decisions to make. Otherwise, one might make a wrong decision and that person wished someone talke them out of it," Locke replied. "You see Charlie, I believe this island is different than others we may have come across before. I believe that sometimes, maybe it's trying to tell us something. It's all in how we interpret what it's doing or trying to say."

Charlie looked at the older man for a moment, unsure on how to swallow what he just said.

_'Maybe it's trying to tell us something...' _Charlie repeated in his mind.

Charlie stared away from the man for a moment and placed a hand over his mouth.

_'Maybe somebaody is trying to tell me something but what is it?'_ Charlie asked himself.

An image of Serena popped into his mind. He was remembering one of their last face to face conversation.

_'Charlie, what's wrong? You've seemed agitated all day,' the young woman asked him as she finished packing her suitcase._

_'Serena, you're leaving us both,' Charlie told her, a sad look on his face._

_'You're acting as if I'm heading to my funeral Charlie. I'm not. I have a job lined up in California. This will be a new experience for me and I want to do this. I am not going to forget my background and I'm not going to forget you. I will come back to visit and I will call,' Serena told him with a smile._

_Charlie smiled back as he looked her over._

_"You've been a steady motivator for me during my time with Driveshaft. Mine and Liam's,' Charlie said as he turned aorund away from her._

_'I reached my hand out to help and you took it. I'm glad. I'll never forget my time with you and the others during the tours. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm making the right decision to leave you. With this recent drug addiction that you're come into, I don't know. I want to help you with that but you don't want any help with it,' Serena told him._

_Charlie gasped, not believing what he was hearing. He hurried up to her and faced her._

_'Serena, as much as I'm going to miss you, you can't stay behind just because of me. This is your dream and I don't want to be reason for you to hold back. I'll still be here if things don't go as planned over there in America and I will come to visit. I promise,' Charlie told her._

_Serena smiled as Charlie raised his arms towards her, looking for a hug. She smiled even wider at that as she took it._

_'Don't hesitate to call me if you need help. I still want to help you even though I'm a thousand miles away in L.A.,' she told him._

_Charlie gave a sad smile and she couldn't see him. It took him a few seconds to answer her._

_'Alright, I will,' Charlie finally told her._

_A tear fell down his face and it landed on her head._

_'Don't cry Charlie. We'll see each other again,' she quietly said._

_'I know we will. I'm crying from the fact that I won't get to see you as often as I used to,' Charlie replied. 'Now come on. I should get you to the airport.'_

_Serena nodded as they headed out the door._

"Charlie?" came a familiar voice.

The former rock star didn't answer him as he stood there.

"Charlie?" the voice came again, coming more forcefully.

That broke Charlie out of his concentration and he soon stared at Locke, who had a worried look on his face.

"What're you thinking about Charlie?" Locke asked him.

"Nothing," Charlie lied. "Nothing important."

Locke watched him walk away a few steps and the older man narrowed his eyes a bit.

'There's something he's not telling me. What has him so uptight?' he wondered.

Locke had noticed the slight smell on Charlie's breath. He thought he recognized it but he wasn't sure. He watched as Charlie looked around the area, as if seeing if anyone else was around. Charlie soon heard a rustling in the trees behind both him and Locke. He stared in the direction that it was coming from.

"Charlie?" Locke questioned.

"Locke, there's something in the trees behind you so you'd better move," Charlie replied.

"What on Earth are you talking about? There's nothing in the trees behind me. There's only the two of us," Locke told him.

"No, there's definitely something behind you," Charlie tried to tell him as the movement continued.

Charlie began to back away from Locke, who was becoming slightly confused with the gesture.The movement of the bushes continued until something walked out of it behind Locke. Charlie gasped as he eyes widened for it was a familiar face.

_'How did she get here?'_ he asked himself.

He began to shake his head and back away from the man even further.

"Charlie, what's the matter?" Locke demanded to know.

"What is she doing here? She's not even supposed to be here!" cried Charlie as he backed into a tree.

He thought that seeing Serena in his dreams was bad enough, now he was seeing her out in broad daylight. She still carried the severe injury across her face and down her body. To him, it looked like a massive burn combined with an injury caused by either glass or metal.

"Who, Charlie? Who's this female you're talking about?" Locke wanted to know.

_'Charlie,'_ she said. _'Help me.'_

"Help you with what?" Charlie demanded to know.

Locke glanced behind himself and still saw nothing. He was confused on who exactly Charlie was talking to at the moment. He was thinking it had something to do with the withdrawl but he couldn't place it as that yet.

Charlie watched as the figure walked up to him and stared at him.

_'Help me. Please,'_ Serena told him as she lifted her injured hand towards him.

Charlie tried to move his head enough so that she wouldn't touch him but she did anyway. Her image soon disappeared before his eyes.

"No," he whispered before he began to slide down the tree.

Locke hurried over to him as he reached the ground. He placed a hand on the man' shoulder and saw that he was unresponsive to the touch. Charlie's head was drooping a bit and he wasn't moving at all.

"Charlie?" Locke questiongly said. "Is everything alright?"

When he didn't get an answer, he lifted Charlie's head enough so that he could take a look at the younger man's face.

"This can't be!" Locke gasped.

He was staring at a discolouration that was beginning to show on Charlie's chin. It was trailing down the left side of his neck, onto his shoulder and down his shirt. Locke was also beginning to notice the serious scratches on Charlies' face and arms.

"Where did that come from?" he had to ask.

TBC...


	3. Mixed Messages

Locke looked over Charlie. He figured that the younger man wasn't going to be waking up anytime soon.

"What is wrong with you Charlie?" Locke asked himself. "Well, right now, I think I should get you back to Jack. He should take a look over you."

Locke took Charlie's arm and placed it around his shoulders. He placed his own hand under the man's arm before proceeding to carry him back to the caves. Charlie remained limp the entire time and that's what worried Locke the most.

"I wish you could tell me what happened Charlie," Locke quietly said to himself as he started off into the forest.

00000

Jack watched as the others slowly began to wake, one by one. He was still wondering what was wrong with Charlie to make him act like that. The only reason he figured was wrong with Charlie was the withdrawl. To Jack, it was the only thing that made any sense any the moment.

Michael walked over to Jack, seeing the worried look on his face.

"What's wrong Jack?" Michael asked.

"Nothing," lied Jack.

"Somehow, I don't believe you," Michael told him.

"What makes you think so?" Jack wondered, mostly hiding the shocked look on his face.

Michael thought he saw the doctor give a look of surprise as he pondered his answer.

"Because you seem worried about something. You seem to be waiting for someone to return," Michael replied.

Jack sighed as he looked anywhere but at the man standing before him.

"You're right, I am waiting for someone to come back. Locke. There's something I'd like to ask him. It's nothing important. I'm just eager to ask him, that's all," Jack explained._ 'Well, that's not a complete lie. I hope he believes me.'_

Michael thought about he was just told.

Hurley walked by and both Michael and Jack looked over at him. Hurley stopped a few feet away from them and knelt, taking something out of a bag.

"What're you thinking about now Hurley?" Jack wondered.

"My usual crazy thoughts. That's all," replied Hurley. "Just wondering what to do next."

Michael shook his head and sighed before turning his head at the rustling of the leaves nearby. Jack did as well only to see Locke carrying a lifeless Charlie into the camp.

"Charlie!" cried Jack as he quickly stood up and hurried over to them.

Michael and Hurley hurried up to them as well, hoping to know what happened to their fellow survivor.

"What happened?" Jack demanded to know.

"I don't know. I was talking to him one minute and the next, he collapsed," replied Locke as Jack helped him lower Charlie next to a tree.

Claire walked over to them to see Charlie lying unconscious next to the tree.

"What happened to him?" she demanded to know.

"We don't know yet. That's what we're trying to find out," Jack replied as he began to look over Charlie.

He noticed the bruising that was beginning to form on the side of Charlie's face.

"It looks like he ran into something. Or else fell down and hit something. I can't tell yet," Jack muttered.

"Come on Jack. You gotta find out what's wrong with him," Hurley told him.

"I will Hurley. Just give me some time and some space. I'm sure he doesn't want everyone to be seeing this now," Jack replied.

The others began to walk away from him but Claire and Locke. Jack looked at the older man with a slightly puzzled look.

"Just let me tell him something first Jack. I know he can probably hear me," Locke told him.

Jack nodded before Locke faced him.

"Charlie, whatever this is that you're battling, you can take control of it. I know you can," Locke said to Charlie before starting to walk away.

Jack turned to Claire and gave a smile as he looked over her

"Guess I can't tell you to leave, can I?" Jack asked her as they made eye contact.

She shook her head as Charlie began to groan, moving his head from side to side. His eyes still closed, he began to thrash about.

"No! Serena!" he cried out, making both Jack and Claire curious.

_'Charlie, what's wrong? You've been agitated all day. Did something happen?' she asked him._

_Charlie sighed and tried not to look at her but he could feel her stare burning into him. _

_'Yes, there is something wrong. Liam finally decided to call. This morning while you were at work. Recognized the number on your call display. Don't know why or how but I picked up the phone. He wanted me to return to Australia and get help with him there with this drug addiction I have,' he explained. 'He didn't say it but I don't think he believes that I should be here with you.'_

_'Charlie, doesn't he realize that one can get help here just as well? And you have every right to be here! Just because he can't keep his promises, doesn't mean you can't keep yours,' she snorted._

_'Precisely,' he replied. 'He used Driveshaft to make himself a big star with the women. He promised to stop with the group if I said things went too far and when it did, he didn't want to listen. I promised you that I would come visit sometime and visit I did,' Charlie told her with a smug smile on his face. 'I'm even thinking about moving to the States here with you. All that I need is right here.' _

_'Really? That would be great! Wonder what Liam would have to say about that?' she had to say as she turned._

_'He never looked out for me or you. Why should he start now?' Charlie stated. 'Who cares what he thinks? I almost don't want to see him again.'_

_Serena smiled at him before turning around and headed towards a bag by the door. _

_'By the way, I saw something today that I thought you might like so I bought it for you. Hope you like it,' she told him._

_Charlie smiled and slightly rolled his eyes. Serena had a tendency of getting him a gift every once in a while. He adored her for it but he also felt that she shouldn't because of her current expenses._

_'You didn't have to do that now Serena. You're way too good to me,' Charlie told her as he walked up behind her._

_'I know but I wanted to. You're the best friend I could ever ask for,' she replied as she stood up and turned to face him._

_Charlie paled at the sight. Here she was again, the massive burn across half her face and trailing down her body._

_'Charlie? What's wrong now? Is it about Liam again?' she asked him, becoming worried._

_'Serena? You mean you can't feel that injury across your face? It looks like it hurts a lot,' he asked her._

_'No, I can't. Besides, what injury are you talking about? I have no injury across my face,' she replied with a small smirk._

_Charlie turned around and closed his eyes, unable to look at the injury any longer. _

_'Charlie,' came her voice again._

_'Yeah Serena?' he asked her, hoping that wasn't insulted or anything like that._

_'Help me,' _her voice said before his mind decided to wake up.

Charlie bolted up only to feel someone trying to hold him down.He couldn't see who it was so he struggled greatly against it. Locke hurried up to them as did Hurley and Michael. Charlie didn't understand why his recent dreams were mixing with his memories. He wasn't sure what was happening and it scared him.

"Okay, what just happened?" Hurley wanted to know.

"I don't know. He was just lying here when he began to panic like this," replied Jack as both he and Locke tried to keep Charlie still.

"Let go of me!" cried Charlie, still not seeing anything or anyone.

"Claire, you'd better leave before something happens and he accidentally hurts someone, namely himself or you," Jack told her.

"What?" she asked him in disbelief. "I'm not leaving!"

"Let me go!" Charlie yelled, getting the attention of the others in the camp.

"What's wrong with him Jack?" wondered Claire.

"I'll find out after we restrain him. He's putting himself in danger here," Jack replied.

Both he and Locke were still getting resistance from Charlie, who was still thrashing about.

"Let me go!" Charlie cried out again, opening his eyes. "I need to get to her!"

He saw Claire standing nearby, looking worried. The two looked between each other for a moment before Charlie shook his head. He fell to his knees as Jack and Locke kept their hold on him. He saw something for only a moment where Claire stood and saw an uninjured Serena there for that moment.

"Serena," he quietly said. "What happened?"

Both Jack and Locke felt Charlie become completely limp. The two lowered him to the ground. Jack noticed that Charlie was breathing heavily.

"To answer Charlie's question, I don't know what happened," Jack replied as he looked up at Locke.

"Only one person knows what has happened," Locke said with a sigh.

"And who's that now?" Claire had to ask.

"That would be Charlie," Locke told her. "No one else can tell us. No one except this Serena and you know she isn't here."

TBC...


	4. Very Slight Jealousy and Worried Friends

"Who is this Serena?" wondered Claire as she paced back and forth. "I have to find out."

Locke watched her, slightly worried in her condition.

"Can't tell you Claire. Only Charlie can tell you that. At least when he's ready to tell you.She could be anybody yet by the way he was saying her name, it almost sounded like she was a lover to him before the plane crash," started Locke.

"But I doubt that she's a girlfriend. The way he acts around me makes me think he's single and that he was before he got onto that plane," Claire told him, her amrs crossed.

Locke smiled at that comment before looking at the ground. He gave a small laugh, causing Claire to look over at him.

"What's so funny?" she asked him, an angry look on her face.

"I think you're slightly jealous," he said.

"Me? Jealous? You have got to be kidding!" Claire replied, not believing what she was hearing. "Of what?"

"Of the fact that Charlie might have actually had a girlfriend right before meeting you and that he might still have feelings for her, despite the fact they're so far away from each other," Locke told her.

Claire shook her head as she turned away from him.

"I have to find out who she is once Charlie will tell me," she replied, crossing her arms.

"If this Serena turns out to be a current or even former girlfriend, how are you going to take it?" asked Locke as he looked over Claire.

Claire didn't answer him as she lowered her head slightly.

"Claire?" Locke called over to her. "What's the matter?"

"I'm just afraid that this Serena is a girlfriend that he still cares about. Then he'll forget about me and just go back to her after we get rescued," Claire replied as she put on a sad look.

Locke stood up and walked over to her, placing an arm around her shoulders.

"Listen Claire. He cares greatly about you. Whoever this Serena is, probably believes that Charlie is dead. He might think that he needs to move on with his life and you're here on this island with him. He probably sees a good friend in you," Locke told her.

"Didn't get that impression earlier. It almost appeared as if he were afraid of me. He never was before," Claire quietly told him.

Locke remembered that as well. He didn't like it either and it gave her a reason to worry.

"He'll explain what's going on in time. I think once he's over what he's going through, he'll explain what happened. I don't think he really meant it," Locke explained. "After all, I've seen how he acts around you. I have a feeling that something was wrong with this woman before he left her on this trip and that he's simply worried about her, whoever she is."

Locke began to walk away from her and she watched him do so. She sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. Tears began to well up in her eyes.

"Charlie," she whispered to herself.

Deciding this moment would be the best to give her some privacy, Locke quietly stood up and left her alone.

00000

Charlie was soon inside one of the caves, unconscious. Jack was kneeling beside him, holding a damp cloth to Charlie's forehead. Jack heard quiet footsteps behind him and he turned his head enough to see Locke walking up to them.

"How's he doing?" he asked.

"Alright considering. He's a bit warm so I'd say he's got a bit of a fever. Maybe he's catching something and it's causing him to hallucinate. I really don't know what's wrong. I've never seen something like this before and he won't tell me or anyone else what's wrong," Jack replied. "So I don't know what to do now."

"Let him rest," Locke told him. "Let him think about what's happening to him and then maybe he will talk about it."

"Locke, we need to know what's wrong with him if we are to help him," Jack told him.

"I know that but there are times when someone is going through something and it should be up to them when they want to talk about it," Locke told him. "He'll talk but he needs to find out what he's looking for first."

"What he's looking for?" Jack repeated, unsure he heard it right.

"Yes, what he's looking for. What it is exactly, I don't know but I know something's trying to tell him something. All he needs to do is understand what's being said before explaining it to others," Locke replied as he started to walk away.

Jack watched him do so before looking back at Charlie, who had no indication of waking up anytime soon.

"Wake up Charlie. Please tell me what's wrong because no one can help you if you don't," Jack told him.

Not expecting an answer, Jack turned back around, starting to head towards the entrance of the caves but a soft moan stopped him.

"Maybe I don't want any help," he heard Charlie mutter.

00000

_**Charlie tried to open his eyes as he climbed to a sitting position. He placed a hand on his forehead, wondering what happened. He then remembered about Serena and his eyes tore open. He narrowed his eyes as he looked over her, confused.**_

_**"What's wrong Charlie?" she asked him, a smile appearing on her face.**_

_**He looked over her again, wondering what indeed happen. He then sighed and turned his stare towards the floor. He climbed to his feet and so did she. She was obviously worried about him and he could tell.**_

_**"No, nothing's wrong," he told her. "Nothing's wrong."**_

_**"Something's wrong. I can tell. Please tell me," she told him.**_

_**Charlie nodded, deciding to give in to her request.**_

_**"Serena, I thought I saw something, nothing more," Charlie replied.**_

_**"Charlie, I think you need some help. I think this drug addiction is doing more to your head than you think and what I first thought," Serena told him before turning around.**_

_**She headed towards the phone but Charlie hurried towards her and grabbed her arm, shaking her head.**_

_**"Don't, please. It has nothing to do with my drug addiction. I know it's not. Don't call a doctor," Charlie requested of her.**_

_**"Charlie, you need some help with this drug addiction. Maybe you don't want Liam to help you with it but you don't have to say no to me," Serena replied.**_

_**"Maybe I don't want any help," Charlie replied.**_

_**Serena sighed as she stared at him before heading towards the door. She grabbed her coat and threw him his.**_

_**"Care to go for a drive?" she asked him. "I think you need to get out after last night."**_

_**He grinned at her as he caught it.**_

_**"Of course. I need some air anyway," he told her. "Especially after last night."**_

_**They were soon out on the road, with Serena driving the car since she was more experienced with the roads.**_

_**"Do you feel better now?" she asked him.**_

_**He took a deep breathe from the air coming through the open window.**_

_**"I feel much better actually. Maybe this is all I needed, just to get out," Charlie told her.**_

_**Serena smiled as she glanced over at him. She was happy to see Charlie get his mind off the current situation with Liam.**_

_**"Of course. I mean, you were all stressed out about this tour of Meat Coat's and with Liam. You never did get out much while the two of you were on tour and even after," Serena told him.**_

_**Charlie nodded in agreement: he knew it to be true. He continued to look out the window as Serena kept her eyes on the road. He wasn't paying any attention to the road at all...**_

_**The next thing he knew, he heard Serena gasp. It was in the back of his mind but he heard it. He quickly looked forward to see that a car ran out of control in front of them. She quickly reacted and swerved the car. It turned and stopped in front of the car. Charlie gasped, the adrenaline rushing through his body as he looked at the wreckage sitting next to him. She managed to stop before she ran into it. He was glad for he knew he couldn't imagine what would have happened if she hadn't.**_

_**"That was close," he said as he leaned against the car seat.**_

_**"Yes, it was," she agreed ass he leaned back..**_

_**Charlie looked over at her with a smile but it immediately turned to horror as he saw a van screaming its way down the road at them, unable to stop the vehicle in time.**_

_**"Serena!" he cried just before the van hit the car.**_

TBC...


	5. A Flashback and a Final Decision

Author's Note- Well, here I am. I haven't disappeared off the face of the planet and here's the next chapter of the story!

00000

Jack sighed as he looked over at Charlie sleeping by the cave wall. When Charlie said that 'maybe he didn't want any help', it was the only thing he said. Since then, he calmed down and Jack left it at that. But the doctor still had to wonder what it meant.

"I think he'll be alright for now. I'll check on him again later. Hope nothing drastic happens," Jack told himself before heading away from the cave.

But that was short lived when he heard a scream come from the caves. He twirled around to find that Charlie had awoken earlier than he anticipated. He hurried over to Charlie to find that he was thrashing about. Jack hurried back up to him and tried to hold him back down. Locke also hurried up, helping to keep Charlie still.

"Lat me go!" cried Charlie, seeming to know that he was being held down. "I have to get out of here! I have to find her!"

"We have to keep him down!" Jack told Locke.

"We also have to find out what's wrong. This is one of several times that something's happened since this morning," Locke replied.

Jack had to give a small laugh at that for he remembered the different incidents.

"What should we do now?" Jack wondered.

"First, I think we should try and get him calmed down. Then we should get him to explain what is going on if he'll cooperate," Locke replied.

Charlie's eyes appeared frantic as they went from one side to the other as if desperately trying to look for something or someone that wasn't there.

"Let me go! I have to get to her! I have to know what happened!" Charlie cried out as he protested against the arms trying to hold him down.

Jack did notice that Charlie was tiring a bit from the struggling he was doing. Charlie soon stopped his struggling and leaned against the cave wall. He was breathing heavily and Jack noticed it.

"Charlie?" questioned Jack as he tried to make eye contact with him.

Charlie tried not to but he looked up at him anyway. He appeared to be slightly embarassed by the situation.

"Charlie, you can talk to us. Tell us what happened and we can help you," Jack told him in a quet voice.

"Jack, you don't understand what this is about. No one will, not even me. At least not yet. I don't think I'll be able to tell you what's going on until I figure it out myself," Charlie whispered.

Jack looked over at Locke, who was not surprised with what was said.

"Let him be Jack. He needs to figure it out, like he said. We shouldn't try and push it," Locke told him.

Jack reluctantly nodded before standing up and walking away from Charlie. Locke had joined him, taking one last glance at Charlie before he did so.

Charlie glanced over at Locke to see that the man was looking over at him. He supposed that Locke wanted to tell him what was going on but he knew he couldn't. At least not yet he couldn't.

"I hardly understand what's going on myself," Charlie muttered to himself.

His mind flashed back to a decison clinching conversation with his brother.

_Charlie walked up to the door and knocked on it. He waited until someone opened the door to reveal Liam standing there. A smile spread across the elder brother's face and the two hugged each other._

_'Liam, how are you doing?' asked Charlie, a smile on his face._

_'Charlie!' he said with a smile on his face. 'What are you doing here?'_

_'I came to tell you something Liam,' Charlie replied as they headed to sit down._

_'What Charlie?' wondered Liam, a concerned look appearing on his face._

_Charlie sighed, not making eye contact with his brother, almost fearing what he would think. He already knew that Liam figured that it had something to do with the drugs._

_'Liam, I've pretty much decided to move to LA with Serena,' Charlie told him._

_Liam was a bit surprised with this statement. He shook his head as he mouthed the word 'no'._

_Charlie, you mean to tell me that you're going to be staying with Serena and dropping your drug problem on her?' Liam wanted to confirm._

_'I am not dropping my drug problem on her. I'll deal with it without involving her,' Charlie replied. _

_'You can't do that Charlie. I won't let you,' Liam told him, a bit angry. 'I won't let you ruin Serena's life like you have your own and yes, you will be involving her whether you realize it or not.'_

_'I haven't ruined my own life,' Charlie snarled back. _

_Charlie stood up and started to walk away, knowing that he shouldn't have come to see Liam after all._

_'Charlie, I can't let you make Serena worry about you all the time. I can't let you move to LA! She can't be watching out for you all the time!' Liam called after him._

_'She's looked out for me more than you! She's stuck with us throughout all the tours. I won't let my drug addiction be a big problem for her. Maybe I shouldn't have come to see you Liam. I had a feeling that you wouldn't approve of this,' Charlie told him before heading away._

_'Charlie!' Liam called after him._

"Charlie?" came a voice.

Charlie snapped out of his daze to see Claire kneeling beside him, a worried look on her face.

"Are you alright Charlie?" she asked him.

"I'll be fine Claire," he told her.

"Somehow, I don't believe you. The way you were acting earlier makes me believe something is going on in your head. What is it?" she wondered.

Charlie sighed as he lowered his eyes.

"I don't understand it myself," he quietly told her.

Claire still didn't believe him as she stood back up.

"Well, when you do know, I would like to know as well," Claire told him. _'I would also like to know who this Serena is as well but I know he's not going to me just yet.'_

He saw her looking at him with a curious look. As if reading his mind, she opened her mouth.

"Who's this Serena?" she asked him, knowing it was a bad time anyway.

"Claire, I can't tell you just yet. I..." he started.

"I understand. She's an old girlfriend that you still have feelings about. I understand completely. All the times you've been nice to me was because you were stranded on this island with me," Claire replied before he could finish.

"Claire, you don't understand. That's not how it is! If you'd let me explain!" Charlie said, grabbing her arm.

"Then tell me," Claire wanted to know.

"I will tell you. Just not now. I still have to figure out what exactly is going on. Please be patient," Charlie requested of her.

Claire nodded, yet she was still unsure what to believe. She watched him carefully as his eyes began to droop and he was trying to prevent himself from doing so.

"These nightmares are truly frightening Charlie?" she asked.

Charlie nodded as he finally had to close his eyes.

"More than you realize," he quietly said.

She noticed that he wasn't looking that well anymore. He looked almost pale and still quite a bit shaken from the recent incidents.

"I will tell you one thing though Claire," Charlie suddenly said.

"What is it Charlie?" she wondered, her interest perked.

"These dreams I'm having, they aren't like any others I've had before," he said.

"Really? Please explain," she requested.

"They seem real. As if they're really happening. I can't explain it," he told her.

Claire narrowed her eyes, wondering what it could mean as Charlie thought about the last dream he recently had. It kept replaying in his mind: at least the part where the van hit the car. As it replayed in his mind, he was realizing where it hit: that he was closer to the wreckage and that the van hit her side of the car. The van hit her dead on.

"Serena, no," he whispered to himself before trying to climb to his feet.

He stood on his feet as Claire climbed to her feet and stood beside him.

"Charlie, what's wrong?" she asked him, starting to become worried.

"Claire, stay away from me," he told her.

"What? Why?" she demanded to know.

"Because I'm afraid I might hurt you," Charlie replied. "I'm not safe to be around at this time."

He looked at her one last time before starting to hurry out of the cave. His movements had caught the attention of Jack and Locke, who ran after him. They grabbed his arms and held him back before he could go any further.

"Please! Don't let me stay here!" he pleaded with them.

"We can't let you go anywhere Charlie! You could get hurt without us knowing it," Jack told him.

"Well, I can't stay here and attack Claire when I have another one of these nightmares. If you saw what I saw, you wouldn't want to be around anyone either," Charlie replied as he stared at doctor.

Charlie noticed the movement of something in the nearby trees.

"What's that?" he wondered as he watched it.

"What?" asked Jack.

"I don't see anything out of the ordinary," Jack replied.

Charlie continued to watch the movements until whatever was making them decided to move towards them...

TBC...


	6. A Small Explanation for Locke

Charlie watched intently as the dog suddenly walked into view from behind the bushes. He wondered how Jack and the others didn't hear the animal moving but his question was soon answered.

"That's what got you so worked up now Charlie? Vincent? Maybe it's something more serious than what we frst thought. You should probably go back to the cave and rest," Jack suggested.

Jack and Locke started to lead Charlie back to the cave but Charlie soon resisted them.

"No!" he cried out, breaking free of their loosening grips on his arms.

Charlie moved a few feet away from the two men. Both of them and Claire watched him, confused.

"You don't understand," he quietly said.

The three heard him say that and looked between each other.

"Charlie, we want to understand but you keep refusing to tell what's going on," Jack told him with a small smile.

Charlie stared at the ground, unable to look at the others any longer. He began to shake his head, before starting to head towards the trees before deciding to run. He disappeared into the woods, leaving a worried group behind. Jake stepped forward to stop him but Locke stopped him instead.

"Let him go Jack. He needs to figure this out," Locke told him.

"But he could hurt himself in the condition he's in," Jack protested.

"Then let me head after him," Locke replied with a small smile.

Jack wondered why and it apparently was written all over his face when Locke began talking again.

"Because Jack, I don't think you would be the best person to be talking to him. You're a doctor but I think a doctor is the last person he'd like to see at the moment," Locke explained. "You might give a judgement before you know everything. Honestly, do you think he's going crazy?"

Jack thought about his answer for a moment before deciding to say anything.

"I don't know Locke. He's hallucinating, seeing and hearing things that aren't there but there's something almost different about it. Of course, nothing's been quite the same since we arrived on this island," Jack suddenly said.

"You're telling me," Locke agreed, a smirk on his face.

Jack had to give a laugh at that statement, taking a moment to realize why that was said.

"Yeah. Very different indeed. I wouldn't know what to do if anything drastic happened," Jack told him.

"First, let's see how this plays out," Locke said before heading after Charlie.

00000

Charlie ran through the forest, the branches hitting his face along the way. They were creating scratches on his face and arms but he was ignoring it. He soon came to a small clearing and stopped, trying to catch his breath.

_'What is happening? What is my head trying to tell me?'_ he asked himself.

He placed his hand on the sides of his head as it began to pound. He felt a massive headache begin to form in his head.

"Please, let this stop! Please stop tormenting me with images of Serena!" Charlie quietly pleaded. "I miss her enough as it is."

He leaned against a tree as nausea began to spread through him. His head began to spin. It spun enough that he collapsed onto the ground.

00000

Locke hurried after Charlie, hoping to help Charlie somehow with what was going on. He soon came across the young rocker lying in the ground, unconscious.

"Charlie," he quietly said as he hurried up to him. "Charlie, wake up,"

Charlie didn't stir yet Locke noticed that his eyelashes were flickering, indicating that something was going through the man's head.

_'Are you dreaming again Charlie? What are these dreams about? I wish you would tell someone. I know Jack and I would help you. So would Claire,'_ Locke thought to himself.

Locke gently shook Charlie's shoulder as he knelt beside him.

"Charlie! Wake up!" he called to him, knowing that it was probably useless.

Locke sighed as he sat next to a nearby tree. He dared not leave Charlie alone in the state that he was in. He was afraid that Charlie was going to hurt himself if he were alone.

00000

_**"Get them out of there!" cried a voice.**_

_**Charlie groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. He opened his eyes slightly to see wreckage all around him. He heard voices and saw lights all around him**_

_**"What happened?" he asked himself as he tried to move.**_

_**He found he couldn't move anywhere and the pain was everywhere. There wasn't a place in his body that he couldn't feel pain coursing through. He also found that he heard someone calling to him.**_

_**"Who are you?" he called out.**_

_**"My name is Mark. We're going to get you out of there," came a male voice, sounding relieved.**_

_**Charlie managed to nod slightly as he tried to move around. He heard the screech of metal moving beside him and soon, he found himself out of the car. He felt himself being moved away from the car and towards a waiting ambulance.**_

_**"How's... Serena?" he had to ask as he stared at the paramedic hovering over him.**_

_**"Serena? Who's she?" the paramedic asked him.**_

_**"She's the one who was driving," Charlie quietly replied.**_

_**The paramedic appeared to be more than nervous. He gave a sad smile before deciding to answer.**_

_**"We'll let you know at the hospital when you're more aware. She'll be fine. She's in very good hands," the paramedic replied.**_

_**Charlie managed to give a small smile before he was lifted into the ambulance. He faintly heard the sound of a helicopter lifting off. In the back of his mind, he was afraid since he thought of the possibility that they had Serena in there.**_

_**He feared that she was already dead.**_

00000

Charlie gasped as he opened his eyes wide. He stared wide-eyed at Locke, who was sitting next to him, his back facing him. The man turned around and looked at Charlie.

"Charlie?" he asked.

"Locke, it can't be that," Charlie whispered.

"It can't be what Charlie?" asked the man sitting next to him.

Charlie placed a hand on his forehead, unable to figure everything out.

"Locke, I need your help," he finally said.

Locke was surprised to hear those words but he didn't show it. The look on his face showed that was intently listening to what Charlie had to say.

"Locke, these dreams I've been having are really scary, as you might have already figured out. I'm with a friend of mine..." he started.

"Is it a girlfriend?" Locke interrupted him,figuringit was the only timeto ask for Claire.

"A girlfriend? As in going out, being intimate with girlfriend? No, never has been like that," Charlie replied as a laugh laced his voice.

Then he couldn't stop laughing, realizing that he hadn't told the others of how he knew Serena.

"What's so funny?" wondered Locke.

"I haven't told anyone who Serena is yet," Charlie explained. "And I will when I'm sure these dreams have stopped."

"Alright, I can handle that. What happens with this Serena?" Locke said.

"Well, I'm in LA with her and the plane got there safely. The plane hadn't crashed. Believe me, it was this flight. I'd already been there over a week, almost two. We head to get breakfast and then these nasty injuries appear on her body," Charlie replied.

Locke nodded slightly, taking in what had already been said.

"What's next?" came Locke's voice.

"We head out for a drive and we get into a car accident. I get pulled out of the car and get sent to the hospital. That's where they've ended so far. I don't know when anymore are going to come or what they will bring," Charlie replied as he began to feel the dull pain coursing throughout his body.

"Have you ever thought that maybe she's trying to tell you something through these dreams?" Locke asked him.

"No, I haven't thought about that at all but I don't think that's it. It can't be that," replied Charlie as he looked away from Locke.

Locke looked over the scratches on Charlie's arms and face.

"You should really let Jack check those out," Locke mused, noticing a more serious one on Charlie's left forearm.

"I'll be fine," Charlie replied as he turned away from Locke.

Locke narrowed his eyes as Charlie did so. The look in Charlie's face was now fear for the were replaying the in his mind again: from being in the house to the road and the following car crash.

"What is it supposed to mean?" Charlie quietly asked himself as he felt himself become tired.

Locke continued to watch Charlie as he climbed to his feet. Charlie could see images starting to appear in his mind, continuing what had started before.

"Charlie?" Locke called after him as he stood up himself.

Charlie heard and ignored him before stumbling away from him.

_'I can't let him see me like this again. It is too humiliating,'_ Charlie thought to himself.

He wasn't watching where he was going, too eager to get away from Locke, who was continually calling after him.

Out of nowhere, a steep incline appeared before Charlie and unable to stop, he fell down it the entire way. Locke managed to stop before he fell down as well. He looked down it to see Charlie lying unconscious at the bottom of the hill.

TBC...


	7. Locke's Theory

"Charlie!" Locke cried out as he stared down at Charlie at the bottm of the hill.

He searched for a way down the hill. He soon found a rocky path nearby and began to climb down it. He hurried as quickly as he could towards Charlie and once he was next to him, Locke looked over Charlie for any injuries that he might have suffered.

"Charlie, wake up!" Locke tried to tell him.

Charlie didn't answer him because when he landed, his head hit a semi-hidden rock and it knocked him out cold. Locke was afraid to move Charlie in fear that he could have a serious injury to his head or neck yet he knew that he had to do something. Locke looked around the area to see if there was anything that he use.

He soon found out that he didn't have to do much as he heard Charlie groan.

"Locke?" came Charlie's voice.

"Charlie, tell me more about these dreams. I get the impression that you really care about this Serena," Locke told him. "Tell me what happened to her in these dreams."

"The injuries..." Charlie stuttered as he tried to climb to his feet. "The injuries... are very serious. Enough so that... I can't bear it. When the... accident occurs... I don't know what happened to her. I don't see her. I have to know."

Charlie began to move and push himself up. Locke tried to stop him.

"Charlie, wait. You could have a serious injury and moving might make it worse," Locke told him.

"Locke, all I want to do now is find out what these dreams mean. I don't even know how long they're going to last let alone when the next one will happen," Charlie groaned as he leaned against a tree.

Locke noticed how Charlie was cradling his one arm and figured that he must have hurt it on the way down.

"Charlie, you should get your arm checked out by Jack. It looks serious," Locke told him.

"Leave me alone Locke! I told you too much already!" Charlie replied as he turned and started to run away from Locke, stumbling as he did so.

Locke stared after him before giving a sigh and heading back to the caves.

_'I don't think there's nothing I can do for him. Whatever's going through his mind, he knows he has to deal with and he chooses to deal with it alone,' _Locke thought to himself along the way.

00000

Charlie ran through the forest, several thoughts going through his mind. Mainly about Serena. He couldn't believe that he told Locke what his dreams were about.

"Now why did I go and do that? He probably thinks I'm lying about my relationship with her," Charlie whispered to himself.

He came to the same clearing he was in after the first nightmare. He sat down next to one of the trees, minding his arm in the process. He held it close to his body for it terribly hurt if he moved it.

"God, why does this have to happen here?" he asked himself.

Sleep was beckoning to him ever more than what was before. He hadn't slept that much th night before and he was slowly getting dark.

"Please don't let these dreams come back," he murmered to himself._ 'But I know they will.'_

_'Charlie,'_ came a female voice.

Charlie looked in the direction it was coming from and he saw something moving in the bushes and the ghostly figure of Serena walked out from behind them.

_'Help me Charlie. I know you can,'_ she told him._ 'Only you can. Please help me.'_

"How can I help you Serena? I'm only God knows where and you're in LA," Charlie replied as he looked over her.

Before she could answer, the ghostly image disappeared and it caused Charlie to think about something soon before he got onto the plane at Sydney.

_Charlie reached out for the phone and picked it up, hoping that he made the right choice. He dialed a number and let the phone ring a few times before someone picked up._

_'Hello?' the person on the other end said._

_'Hi Serena. It's me, Charlie,' he told her._

_'Charlie! I'ts great to hear from you! Well, what have you decided? Have you talked to Liam yet?' Serena asked him, bombarding him with all these questions._

_Charlie quietly laughed for he knew they were coming. The two of them had talked about it a lot beforehand._

_'I'm coming over to LA. With you. I've told Liam that I pretty well decided and I'm going to see him soon to tell him that I am going for certain. Not going to tell him when I'm leaving because I know he'll show up and try and talk me out of it. When I do talk to him about it, I know he'll be wanting to talk me out of it, for certain. When I talked to him about it before, he really didn't want me to. He thought that I was dumping all my problems on you,' Charlie told her._

_'You mean the drug addiction?' she wanted to confirm._

_'Yeah,' he reluctantly admitted._

_She knew he couldn't see the smile on her face but he thought he could. _

_'Charlie, I can assure you that you are not dumping that problem on me. Never have before when you came to visit or when we were together, why should you now?' she replied. 'I know that he won't like it at all.'_

_'Yeah, I know. I've got to talk to him about that tour that's starting in LA. At least I've got to try to bring the band back,' Charlie told him._

_'I understand but don't expect too much,' Serena told him. 'I'll pick you up at the airport. Let me know later on what time the plane's leaving and stuff and I'll be there.'_

_'Thanks Serena,' Charlie said with a smile. 'I'll let you know.'_

_He hung up the phone and he sat in the chair for a moment, knowing he had to go talk to Liam. And his older brother wasn't going to like it at all._

00000

Claire was still pacing back and forth as Jack carefully watched her.

"Where is he? Locke should have found Charlie by now," Claire said out loud without realizing it.

"Who says he hasn't?" Jack asked.

"What do you mean by that?" Claire demanded as she turned to stare at him.

Jack inwardly shuddered at the look that Claire was giving him and was thinking 'if looks could kill'.

"What I mean is that maybe Locke found him but Charlie was injured or refused to move. It could be a few possibilities Claire on why they're not back yet. Maybe Locke didn't find him yet..." started Jack.

"Don't talk like that. Locke has to find him," Claire angrily told him as she walked up to him.

Before Jack could say anything else, they heard a rustling of leaves behind them and Locke walked out of the brush to greet them. Claire hurried over to him.

"How is he?" she demanded to know.

Locked stared at her, wondering how he should tell her what he had seen and heard

"Not good. He's hurt and he still wants to be alone to deal with this," Locked replied, lowering his head.

"He's hurt and you just let him go?" Jack asked him.

"He managed to run off before I do could anything to stop him. Claire, I think you might be able to help him," Locke replied as he faced her.

"How could I help him?" she wondered.

"He thinks he's alone in dealing with this problem but he's not. I believe that if you can convince him that you can help him until these dreams are over, I think he will be better," Locke explained as he faced her.

"'Until these dreams are over'? What do you mean by that? They're going to stop?" Jack wanted to make sure. "Dreams just don't start and stop as they please. We have them all the time. Sometimes we remember them, but mostly we don't."

"This time's different. I think someone's trying to tell him something and that someone is Serena," Locke replied. "And I fully believe that the island's helping her. Now let's go find him."

Claire nodded and began to follow him but Jack soon grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"I think I might know where he is," he told her. "Follow me."

Claire began to follow Jack into the forest, wondering where they could possibly be headed.

TBC...


	8. Another Dream, Another Explanation

"Where are we going anyway?" wondered Claire.

"To the one place he's been that almost no one knows about. I found him in this place before," Jack replied.

"And makes you think he'll be back here?" Claire had to ask.

"I don't know. I just do," replied Jack. "Now come on. We're almost there."

Claire was a bit skeptical but she followed the doctor as they continued into the forest in their search for Charlie.

"I don't know if you know where you're going Jack," she told him as she continued to follow him.

"I just have this feeling that he's gone back to this one place. Just trust me on this, please. If he's not there, I won't know where to start looking for him. At least this is a start," Jack replied.

"I don't think anyone will know," Claire mused.

00000

Charlie shivered, trying to get warm. He was lying next to the tree, unable to get to sleep. His eyes wanted to close but they wouldn't at the same time.

"Must... get... some sleep," he muttered to himself. "Can't let Claire... see me... like this."

He soon heard the rustling of leaves but he thought it was the wind as he felt it come up at that moment. He soon found out otherwise when he heard his name being called by two voices. It took him a few moments to realize who was calling out to him.

"Charlie? Charlie!" came a familiar female voice.

"Claire," he managed to say, suddenly wincing in pain.

"Charlie, why do you do this to yourself? We can help you through this," Claire as him as she unknowingly grasped his injured hand.

He gasped out in pain and she gave a gasp herself as Jack walked up behind them.

"Get on the other side of him while I should check his arm," Jack told her.

Claire nodded as she got on the other side of him. Jack looked over Charlie's injured arm. Charlie was wincing the entire time, all the while trying not to fall asleep.

"What's wrong with his arm?" Claire finally asked.

"It's broken. Must have happened during the fall that Locke told us about," Jack told her.

Claire gave a sigh as she looked at Charlie's face., which showed a certain depth of pain. Jack placed his index finger near the bone.

"Almost feels like it's a bit out of place. Can'tbe certain of it.Wouldn't be able to tell without an x-ray," Jack finally said.

"Well, what are you going to do then?" Claire asked him. "If it's out of place, we can't just leave it like that."

"Well, one way or another, I'm going to have to put a splint on it. He might scream out in pain when I do so," Jack told her.

"And he might thrash out at me?" she wanted to confirm.

"Yeah. That's what I'm worried about," the doctor told her with a small smile. "And I don't think it out of place after all. But it is definitely broken."

"And I'm still here. I can hear you," came Charlie's voice.

The two looked down at Charlie to see that his eyes were slightly open and were looking between them.

"Go ahead Jack. Do whatever you have to do. Get the splint on," Charlie told him.

Jack nodded as Claire sat next to Charlie, holding his hand. Charlie tightly closed his eyes as Jack placed the pieces of wood on his arm and tied them on. He winced and cried out a few times in pain. Once it was finished, Claire looked down at Charlie, whose eyes finally decided to close.

"Charlie," Claire quietly said.

When she didn't get an answer, she looked over at Jack with a worried look, who looked at her with the same worry.

"I don't think that's a natural sleep. Something's going on here. I don't remember seeing too many people fall asleep soon after they received a broken bone," Jack mused.

"He must be exhausted Jack. That's all I can figure. I wonder if he's dreaming anything?" wondered Claire.

Jack shrugged his shoulders as they continued to watch the sleeping Charlie.

00000

_**Charlie slightly opened his eyes slightly to look at the ceiling. He could hear the sound of machines working around. He turned his head to find a nurse nearby, sitting at a desk. She looked up briefly to see that he was awake. She quickly climbed to his feet and over to him.**_

_**"Charlie Pace, is it?" she asked him.**_

_**Charlie managed to nod his head as he blinked his eyes a few times, trying to comprehend what had just happened.**_

_**"Do you remember what happened?" she asked.**_

_**Charlie closed his eyes and laid there for a moment before nodding.**_

_**"I do. Van hit our car after Serena swerved to miss the accident. What happened to her?" he replied.**_

_**The nurse looked at him for a moment before answering. He noticed the sad look on her face and that worried him.**_

_**"I'll tell him," came a voice from the doorway.**_

_**Both Charlie and the nurse looked to see the doctor at the doorway. The nurse nodded and stepped away as doctor walked over to him and sat down next to the bed.**_

_**"Mr. Pace, I just want to check on something first. I just want to see if you're family," the dotor told him.**_

_**"Yes, I am. I'm related to her. I'm her only family in this part of the world," he replied without any hesitation.**_

_**"Alright. Well, the diagnosis is not good. She suffered third-degree burns to the one side of her body, ranging from her face down to her knee. She has a broken arm and leg on that same side and she also suffered a severe concussion. She slipped into a coma just recently and we don't know if she'll ever awaken from it. We are hoping she does though," the doctor explained to him. "She also had some damage to her internal organs. At this time, we won't know the full extent of those injuries."**_

_**"What?" Charlie said in disbelief as he tried to raise himself up.**_

_**"Mr. Pace, you shouldn't be moving that much. You were in a serious car accident," the doctor as he hurried to his feet.**_

_**"Have to see Serena," he muttered. **_

_**"I can't let you do that yet. Even though you did not receive the direct force of the collision, you are still in a poor condition to begin moving around," the doctor said in a worried voice.**_

_**"When can I see her?" Charlie wondered as he looked up at the doctor.**_

_**The doctor stared at Charlie for a moment before nodding his head, giving in to Charlie's request.**_

_**"You can go see her now. We'll get you a wheelchair and take you there," the doctor told him.**_

_**Minutes later, Charlie found himself heading towards Serena's room. He wanted to see her yet he dreaded he was going to see.**_

_**The nurse wheeled him into the room and he couldn't believe his eyes. He was looking at the same injury he saw on her as he did earlier. The burns were trailing down her face like what he had seen before.**_

_**"Serena?" he quietly asked as he found himself next to the bed. "What does this mean?"**_

_**"She might not hear you Mr. Pace. The doctor might have told you that she's in a coma," the nurse told him.**_

_**Charlie nodded as he continued to look at the still form of Serena.**_

**'Is this what you're trying to tell me? What is this all about?' _he thought to himself._**

_**He closed his eyes tightly as his breathing began to quicken and he began to feel a bit dizzy. He placed a hand on his forehead as his vision went dark.**_

00000

Charlie awoke to find Jack and Claire hovering above him.

"What are you doing here?" were the first words out of his mouth.

"What are we doing here? Trying to help you. Charlie, did you even realize that you broke your arm?" Jack said, trying to hold back the disbelief.

"I don't want any help with this," Charlie replied, his voice slightly filled with sorrow.

"Has this got to do with Serena?" wondered Claire.

"Yes, it does," Charlie replied, not trying to hide his pain as he climbed to a sitting position.

"Charlie, you have to let us help you. Otherwise, it could get out of your control," Jack told him.

Claire nodded in agreement as Charlie looked up at her. She could see in his eyes how tired he was. She could also see the pleading in his eyes as well.

"Charlie, we do want to help but you keep pushing us away. Do you trust us enough to help?" Jack asked him, trying to cathc the younger man's gaze.

Yet Charlie tried not to make eye contact with either of them.

"She's my sister," he suddenly said.

"What?" Claire said, a bit unsure on what she heard.

"Serena. She's my younger sister," Charlie repeated. "And I think she's dying."

TBC...


	9. Contact on Another Plane of Existance

"Your sister? This Serena is your sister?" Claire repeated. "And how do you know she's dying?"

"I have a feeling by these dreams I've been having. At first, an injury appears on her without herknowing it's thereand they've ended with lying in the hospital bed and those injuries are on her bodies and much more," explained Charlie.

Claire looked over him with a sad look on her face.

"Charlie, we didn't know," she told him in a quiet voice.

"No one knew Claire. No one on the island besides the two of you know that I have a sister. She lives in LA and we were going to meet up with each other once the plane landed. I've always wondered what would be going through her mind since we didn't show up at the airport. She's always been the one who looked out for me," Charlie explained. "I was going to stay with her at her place. Our brother didn't really approve of this at all. He thought I'd be too much of a burden on her."

"Charlie, I don't see how you could be a burden on anyone," Claire told him with a smile.

Charlie managed to smile back before Jack caught his attention.

"You can't be certain that she is dying Charlie. These dreams of her severely injured might be an unconscious fear for her safety," Jack told him as he placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder.

Charlie slightly shook his head before turning to face the doctor.

"Jack, there probably have been instances where someone has a dream, then in some form has come true. It might have been avoided," Charlie protested. "She's trying to tell me something. Something more than the fact she is in the hospital."

"Like some sort of premonition? What do you think it is?" wondered Jack, still not quite believing what he was hearing.

Charlie glanced up at him before shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders.

"I don't know Jack. These dreams haven't really told me anything else. They've shown me my sister and me but nothing else," Charlie quietly said.

Charlie tried to stifle a yawn and he winced slightly. Claire noticed the bruise that was now sporting the one side of his face.

"How'd you get that Charlie?" she asked, sounding a bit surprised and worried.

Charlie placed his good hand on the side of his face and sighed.

"I don't really remember anymore. I remember falling twice and hitting something both times. That must have been the result," Charlie mused as he moved himself back enough so that he could lean against the tree.

Jack looked over him and both he and Claire saw how tired he was. He almost appeared exhausted and they could hardly imagine how much pain he was in from his recently broken arm.

"Charlie, go to sleep. You haven't gotten much sleep in the past two to three days. Why don't you now," Jack told him.

"No, I can't," Charlie replied.

He began to continue, knowing what they would say next.

"I can't sleep now. I'm almost afraid to go back to sleep. I almost don't want to know what's going to happen next," Charlie explained to them as he began to cradle his injured arm again.

"You won't be able to function well without sleep and the fact that you will have to eventually Charlie. No one can stay awake forever," Jack told him. "And that arm of yours will have to heal as well. No sense getting sick on top of that."

"I know but I can try," Charlie said, his head drooping a bit.

Charlie tried to keep himself awake but he soon was asleep, unable to keep his open anymore. Claire moved closer to him as Jack looked over them.

"I'll go him a blanket. Stay with him until I get back," Jack told her.

"Alright. I won't leave his side," Claire replied.

She watched the doctor leave the clearing. She stayed close to Charlie, hoping to keep him warm.

"I have to wonder what's going through your mind now Charlie. I hope you will tell me so I can help you through this," Claire quietly whispered in his ear.

She could see small beads of sweat falling down his face. She soon took notice of the slight movement of his eyelids.

00000

_**Charlie thought he heard a familiar voice talking to him. He recognized the voice as Claire as he looked around the area. He found himself in the clearing where Claire and Jack found him. He looked over at the tree to see himself lying next to it, Claire sitting next to him, watching over him. Jack was nowhere to be seen and he wondered where the doctor had gone.**_

_**"Claire," Charlie said, the word barely making it past his lips. "What is happening now? Am I dead?" **_

_**"No, you're not dead Charlie. But I soon am," came yet another familiar voice.**_

_**Charlie looked around to find Serena walking through the woods, towards him, injuries and all.**_

_**"Serena, what happened to you?" Charlie asked her as he hurried up to her. "How did this happen?"**_

_**"What you saw in your dreams is what happened to me, just not exactly as how you saw them. The events leading up to it were slightly different," Serena explained to him.**_

_**"You were in a car accident, weren't you? Was it on your way to the airport or from?" he managed to get out.**_

_**"On the way to the airport. I had gotten a call from the officials there about an hour before I was going to head to the airport, saying your flight had gone down and that they didn't know where. They told me they would tell me more once I got there. I never did. The accident played out exactly as you dreamt, just not with you in the car or hospital," Serena told him as she glanced away from him. "Now I lay dying in an LA hospital and I don't know what will bring me back. I feel myself ever slowly leaving my body."**_

_**"You can't die Serena! Hang in there! You and I will meet again. I promise you that," Charlie told as he reached out for her.**_

_**But she moved away from him, making him slightly confused. She seemed almost reluctant to be touched, even by him.**_

_**"Charlie, I just need to know one thing," Serena told him.**_

_**"Sure, what is it? Anything at all," Charlie replied, appearing a bit sad.**_

_**Serena looked at him with a sad look on her face. Charlie could see that she was almost to tears.**_

_**"Charlie, I just need to know that you're alright. That you're safe and alive. That you are going to come home," Serena finally told him.**_

_**Charlie looked towards the ground, before turning away from her. **_

_**"Charlie?" she questioned.**_

_**"Serena, I am alright. I'm alive. Whether or not I'm safe is another story. I will come home but I have no idea when. Our flight was off course. Someday, hopefully soon, I will be in LA. I will tell you the entire story when I do reach the States," Charlie told her.**_

_**Serena moved closer to him and placed her arms around him in a hug. He returned it as tears formed in his eyes.**_

_**"Charlie, I never thought something like this would happen. I wanted to try and talk to you somehow but I knew I couldn't. You're only God knows where and I'm lying unconscious in a hospital. Wherever you are Charlie, it has helped me speak to you like this... and through the dreams. You will have to tell me all about your experiences when you do get to LA because it sounds like you're in a dangerous place," Serena told him.**_

_**"I will if I make it in time," Charlie replied with a smile. "I miss you so much Serena."**_

_**"I miss you too Charlie and I think you'll make it in time. I have a strong feeling you will," Serena told him as her voice began to disappear.**_

_**Charlie noticed that the form of Serena was also disappearing. He backed away just enough to see that his surroundings were disappearing as well.**_

_**"Serena! Don't leave me!" Charlie managed to cry out, the tears falling down his face.**_

**_He fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands._**

TBC...


	10. More Questions Than Answers

Jack walked back into the clearing, blanket in hand. He noticed that Charlie was still asleep and that Claire was still by his side.

"Has anything happened?" wondered the doctor as he headed over to them.

"Nothing too drastic though I think he's dreaming again," replied Claire as she continued to look over Charlie.

Jack looked to see that Charlies eyelids were slightly twitching, indicating that he was indeed dreaming.

"I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing," Jack said as he knelt beside Charlie, who began to move his head from side to side.

"What for?" Claire wanted to confirm. "By how he's acted before?"

"Yeah. You and I have both seen how Charlie reacted to the previous dreams he's had so far. At the moment, he's the only one who knows what he's dreaming and we won't know how he's going to react with it until he wakes up. But most likely, he'll react the same as before," Jack replied as he placed the blanket over Charlie.

"Serena," came Charlie's voice, barely audible. "Don't leave me. You can't die. You just can't."

Both Jack and Claire looked down at him, becoming slightly worried with what was said. They weren't sure exactly what it meant but they knew it wasn't going to be good. They glanced at each other, preparing for almost anything.

Charlie suddenly gasped out in pain, causing himself to awake with a start. He grasped his broken arm, his face showing the obvious pain that he was suffering.

"Charlie, are you alright?" Jack asked him, a concerned look on his face.

"I'll be fine, just moved my arm too quickly," Charlie replied as he began to breathe heavily. "But I don't know for how long I'll be fine though."

"Charlie, what did you dream now?" Claire asked him.

Charlie managed to sit up with some help from Claire and Jack. He stared at her with a sad look on his face. Claire became scared because despite the short time that she knew Charlie, she had never known him to be so scared or sad.

"She is dying Claire," Charlie quietly replied, placing his good hand on his forehead.

"Who is? Serena?" Claire wanted to clarify.

Charlie nodded as he turned to stare at her. He appeared to be almost in tears.

"And there's nothing I can do about it. I hope they find us real soon. I want to be with my sister more than ever now. Now that I know she's fighting for her life," Charlie replied.

Jack looked over him before deciding to say anything.

"Charlie, maybe we should get you back to the caves. Maybe there, you can..." started Jack.

"No, Jack. I can't go back just yet. I don't want the others to see me like this. They would act questions. Questions that I don't want to answer," Charlie quietly replied.

Jack nodded his head, understanding. He glanced over at Claire, who gave him a nod of the head, indicating to him that she knew what to do. She sat down next to Charlie.

"Charlie, would it be alright if I stayed here with you?" Claire asked him.

Charlie was a bit surprised by the question as he stared at her, the tears obvious in his eyes. He soon managed to find the strength to nod.

"Yeah. I'd like that a lot Claire," Charlie managed to reply before he stared at the ground.

"Then maybe you can talk to me about Serena. You don't have to hide her from me anymore Charlie. I'd like to know more about her, if you'll tell me," Claire told him with a quiet voice.

Jack soon stood up, diverting his stare to the trees and plants nearby. Claire looked up at him, knowing what he was doing.

"I'll head back to the caves now. I'll leave the two of you alone now. They'll probably be wondering where we are," Jack told them before turning around and heading into the forest.

Claire and Charlie made eye contact and he smiled at her.

"Of course I'll tell you about Serena. I wish you could have met her. I think the two of you would have gotten along rather well. Of course, if the plane never crashed, we never would have met," Charlie said with a smile.

"Yeah but how do you know that we're not going to be saved before anything happens to her? Or maybe she will live in the end. I have this strange feeling that you will introduce me to her after some time," Claire told him, a smile creeping onto her face. "I would like to meet her once we get off the island."

Claire smiled back at him. Charlie looked at her and saw a look on her face that clearly said 'tell me more', so he decided to do just that.

"Well, she's a very patient person. After dealing with two older brothers, I don't know how she managed to stay sane. She was a really good friend to me, not just a sister. She helped me in more ways than you can imagine," Charlie started.

00000

When Jack walked into clearing alone, Locke had a few questions to ask him. He walked up to the doctor and motioned for him to follow. Once they walked out of earshot of the others, Locke opened his mouth.

"So what happened with Charlie? Did he face his inner demons?" Locke asked.

"They weren't inner demons Locke. By what Charlie's told Claire and myself so far, they were dreams being sent to him by his younger sister, who's lying in an LA hospital, fighting for her life. What do you make of it Locke?" Jack explained to him.

Locke's eyebrows became slightly elevated with this. Jack immediately began to believe that he wasn't expecting something like this.

"This is unexpected. I never thought something like this would happen," Locke muttered.

"What was that Locke?" Jack had to ask, not quite hearing what the man had said.

"The island Jack," Locke replied. "I never thought the island could do something like this: helping one dying person make contact someone here on the island."

"I never mentioned the island," Jack told him, becoming slightly nervous.

"Who's to say that it wasn't the island? We don't know everything about this place Jack. We don't know the limit of its capabilities. I mean, we've come across a mysterious monster that we have never seen yet and a polar bear among other things. I should know best of all how different this place can be Jack. Take it from me. Who's to say that it can't do this as well?" Locke told him.

Jack opened his mouth, but no words were able to come out. The doctor didn't know how to respond to this new revelation.

"Then what if we can make contact with the outside world," Jack finally managed to say.

"I doubt it. We probably would have done it by now. I think that since Charlie's sister is dying might make it a one time thing. Maybe now our only hope of rescue lies with a young woman lying in a hospital bed. If she survives and remembers this experience, she can tell the others the basic direction that we're in. That is, if they believe her," Locke replied.

"Who knows?" Jack replied. "I guess all we can do now is wait."

Locke nodded, who was left to wonder about what Charlie had just experienced.

_'What is Charlie thinking now about his sister?' _Locke thought to himself. _'Speaking of his sister, will she live through whatever she's been through? And how will Charlie react if she doesn't?'_

TBC...


	11. Miracle in the Making

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, a few days earlier...

Liam ran out of the stairwell and ran down the hall before finding the hospital room he was looking for. He hurried into the room and up to the bed. He had to gasp as he looked over his sister lying in the bed. He slowly walked up to the bed.

"Serena, what happened?" he asked himself as a doctor walked up behind him.

The doctor had seen him hurry down the hall and head into the room and he was hoping that he didn't have to call for security.

"May I help you sir?" the doctor asked Liam.

"What happened to her? Tell me please. What is the extent of her injuries? Is she going to live?" Liam demanded, bombarding the doctor with the many questions he had.

"I can't tell you anything unless you're family," the doctor replied.

"I'm family alright. I got a call a few days ago, saying my younger sister was in the hospital with severe injuries. I was told that she might not live that much longer. I hurried here as quickly as I possibly could from Australia. Are you telling me that you know nothing of that?" Liam angrily replied.

"Then you are Liam Pace? We got your name from a friend of Miss Pace. She told this friend about you and a certain Charlie Pace being her two older brothers. Speaking of Charlie, where is he? Has anyone gotten hold of him yet? Any other family that should know of this?" asked the doctor.

Liam hesitated for a moment and the doctor noticed this, wondering what was so wrong with Charlie. He soon came to the theory that Charlie was dead but he wasn't certain of anything until Liam said so.

"What is the matter?" the doctor asked him, becoming slightly nervous.

"Charlie was on that plane that recently went down that has simply vanished into thin air. They're still trying to locate the plane," Liam replied, turning his gaze towards the floor.

"I see. This must be a hard time for you Mr. Pace with your brother missing and your sister near death," the doctor replied, looking at the pieces of paper before him. "To be honest with you, I'm not giving her much more time. The extent of the injuries are very serious. She has third degree burns down one side of her body and a severe concussion. Almost immediately, she slipped into a coma. She also suffered internal injuries. We stopped the bleeding but we will not know the extent of the damage right away. Seeing as where the injuries are, we're fearing worst case scenario. If she does somehow manage to live through this, she might not be able to have any children."

Liam looked away from the doctor, towards his little sister. He couldn't believe what he was hearing or seeing. He soon heard footsteps outside the room and his name being called.

"Liam!" came Karen's voice as she hurried into the room.

She looked at Serena lying in the bed and couldn't believe her eyes either. She placed a hand over her mouth.

"Oh my God," she gasped before she hurried over to the bed.

Liam noticed that the doctor was about to say something about Karen's presence so he decided to quickly answer before he said anything.

"Doctor, this is my wife, Karen," Liam told him.

"Alright. If you have any questions, just find me and ask," the doctor told him before leaving the room.

Karen looked over at Liam, her eyes pleading for an explanation.

"You know how she was in a car accident Karen.They really don't know if she's going to live or not. They believe she is not going to make it," Liam explained. "Even if she does, she might not have children besides having the aftereffects of the concussion and coma."

He placed a hand over his mouth. To Karen, he appeared to be very upset, almost to tears. She walked over to him and took his hand.

"Liam, don't blame yourself. This isn't your fault and it never will be. I realize that this is hard for you, with Serena like this and Charlie only God knows where," she told him.

"Yes, it is my fault Karen. I drove them away. Both of them. If it wasn't for my recklessness, Serena would not have moved here to the States. I know she came here looking for a job but still, I was part of the reason she came this far from Sydney. Charlie never wanted to be near me. I think part of the reason he wanted to come here was because of the fact that he knew he could talk to her and not me. I think in the end, I'm responsible for all this," Liam replied.

"So it ended up like this. Maybe you weren't always there for Serena before. You're here for her now. As for Charlie, we can only wait and see if he is still alive. He will come back. I have a feeling he will and when he does, maybe the two of you can sort things out," Karen told him, placing a hand on his arm.

"Yet I'm her older brother. I should have looked out for her earlier," Liam replied.

"Yes, she's probably had bad times before in which she wished her oldest brother was there yet you are here for her in the worst time possible in her life. Can't you see that?" came the response.

Liam nodded as he looked as he placed a hand over hers.

"You're right. I am glad I'm here now at least. I'm just glad that your parents were alright in having Megan stay with them on such short notice," Liam told her as he turned away from her.

"I knew they wouln't mind Liam. She is their granddaughter and you know how they adore her," Karen replied with a smile.

Liam couldn't help but turn away from his wife and toward his younger sibling. Karen watched him as he sat down next to his sister.

"I'm so sorry Serena. I wish there was something I could do that could make it all better again," Liam quietly told her.

00000

A few days later...

Liam walked back into the room to see Karen sitting by the bed. He headed over to her and she looked up at him.

"I know it's only been a few days but I can't believe there's still no change. I wish I knew where Charlie was, where that plane disappeared to. He'd want to be here. I know that for certain," Liam said.

Karen nodded as she heard it said several times over the course of the few days they were in the States. She glanced up at her husband.

"Liam, you should get some sleep. You've barely slept since we got here and there's such a time difference between here and Sydney," Karen told him.

"I can't sleep, no matter how much my body wants to do so. She could go at any time and I just can't sleep because of it," Liam replied, the exhaustion evident in his voice.

There was a sad look on Karen's face as she continued to watch him.

"Liam, I never really knew your sister but I have a feeling that she is a fighter. I mean, here she is still alive after a couple of weeks, almost proving the doctors wrong. yet we don't know how long it's goin to stay like this," Karen said before standing up.

She walked over to him and grasped his hand.

"She's always been tough, even when she was younger. Nothing and no one could stop her. Ever. She could be slowed but never stopped," Liam told her with a smile.

Karen nodded before leaving the room, telling him that she needed to get something to eat. Liam walked over to the bed and once again sat down next to it. He grasped her unmoving hand. He was ever hoping that it would move even a little to indicate that things could get better.

"This is all my fault. It was me that chased both you and Charlie away here. Only Charlie never got here and you're here, near death. Why does it have to be this way?" he asked himself. "I wish I could make things get better."

Liam placed his forehead on her hand, almost to crying when he felt something move against his head. He wasn't sure what it was until he moved his head enough to see her face. He narrowed his eyes at the sight he was now staring at. He could swear that Serena's eyes were twitching slightly.

_'What is giong on here?' _he thought to himself.

He moved closer to the head of the bed, all the while keeping a hold on her hand. He wasn't understanding what he was seeing.

_'This is odd. Except for breathing, she hasn't moved on her own at all. At least not since I came here,'_ Liam said to himself.

He was greatly surprised when he felt pressure against his hand. He looked to see that her hand was now lightly grasping his hand. He looked at her face and he thought he saw a small smile on her face and her eyes slighly open.

"Serena?" he asked her, the tears now forming in his eyes.

Her eyes opened ever slightly more and they were aimed right at him. She managed to grasp his hand a bit more forcefully. It was as if she were trying to tell him something.

"What is it Serena?" Liam asked her, climbing to his feet. "What are you trying to tell me?"

The doctor walked through the door to check on the patient and saw the scene.

"This can't be possible. She's moving," the doctor gasped. "It's a miracle."

The doctor hurried over to the machines standing next to the bed and looked at what they were reading.

"I don't believe it. I simply don't believe it," the doctor said out loud.

He turned back to see Liam placing Serena's arm over her stomach. Serena's eyes were again closed and her hand limp.

"Her vital signs are improving," the doctor said.

"You're right this can't be possible. You told me that she didn't have too much chance in living through this ordeal. That she probably would have died from her injuries within days," Liam replied. "I can't believe it either."

He turned towards the young woman lying before him in the bed, wondering what had just happened.

_'Could it have anything to do with Charlie?' _Liam thought to himself. _'Could he still be alive somewhere?'_

He thought about that theory for a moment before shrugging it off completely.

_'Of course it can't be! What was I thinking?' _Liam reprimanded himself. _'But how is she going to react to the fact that Charlie is probably dead? And more importantly, how exactly is Serena improving?'_

The End

Author's Note- Well, here's the end of the story. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. They mean a lot to me. Well, have a great day everyone.


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